Mumbai Police Shifts Cherlapally Accused Duo to Mumbai
Mumbai police seize 5.968 kg mephedrone; 12 arrested, huge chemical haul
Hyderabad: A day after the Mumbai police raided a drug-manufacturing unit in Cherlapally that was operating under the guise of a chemical factory, recovering 5.968 kg of mephedrone (‘meow meow’) and arresting two key accused, the duo was on Sunday evening was shifted to Mumbai for producing before a local court.
According to Mumbai police officials, the main accused – Srinivas Vijay Voleti, owner of Vagdevi InnoScience – had previously been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Mumbai unit. “He had received interim anticipatory bail on the grounds that the contraband was not directly recovered from him. That case is still pending,” an official said.
The official further revealed that Mumbai police had earlier attempted to raid the premises but were prevented as the company produced valid licences. “They claimed to be engaged in the chemical business and possessed proper authorisations, which is why we had to devise a plan to catch them red-handed,” the official added.
On September 7, the Mumbai police raided the Cherlapally factory, which was allegedly manufacturing the banned synthetic drug mephedrone, listed under the NDPS Act. The company, founded in 2015, had in 2020 been served a notice by the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB). Following the arrest of Srinivas and his associate Tanhaji, police also arrested a 23-year-old Bangladeshi national, Fatima Murad Shaikh, a Mumbai footpath-dweller who was allegedly acting as a distributor.
In total, 12 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Apart from the seized contraband, police recovered 35,000 litres of chemicals and 950 kg of powder used in manufacturing the drug.
